Hunt
by Wikkid Daggerz
Summary: This is the story of an assassin in the year 2020 who meets a neko, who is a veteran of the 2nd cold war. He learns both how to love and survive with her affection and the double crossing of his agency in this action thriller.


I sat at the bar…drinking an expensive gin. I had a major headache and the liquor and noisy atmosphere definitely wasn't gin went down rough and tasted worse than kerosene but it at least steadied my nerves. I was Namon Hunt, famed assassin and young resident of New York. After a BA induced wreck on the way to the bar, I needed a strong drink. As I drained my fifth shot I muttered "Tastes like liquid sawdust...Get me another glass!" The tired bartender frowned heavily but poured another glass for me. I smiled cruelly, "Smart man…" He was the son of a powerfull senator, and my target; he'd only live until I was done drinking.

I swigged it down he sighed, "I'll just leave the bottle for you." I nodded shortly, pouring another shot. The effect of the liquor was already turning my headache into a migraine. So when a big guy in a leather jacket bumped into me, my hand instinctively flew to the silenced desert eagle holstered on my side. But I was able to stop myself as I noticed this girl, two seats down from me. She was short but few if any of the other girls in the bar could claim to have her cup size. She had long, curly red hair…Then I happened to notice her facial expression. She looked scared, confused, and lost, a Hell of a trio to feel all at one time. She had tears welled up in her eyes and was quivering. The cat ears poking out of her hair twitched nervously as did the tip of her tail.

I studied the neko, "Beautiful…" Suddenly the same man that bumped into me, grabbed a handful of her crimson hair and flung her to the floor, an angry scowl on his bearded face.

"You're in my seat, freak!" This time when my hand gripped my pistol I didn't stop,choosing to instead follow up the round entered behind his ear, and came out his forehead as he grabbed for the hole before slumping onto the bar limply. People screamed and I fired one more round into the bartender's heart, as he was my target and it was time to go.

All of the people screaming was killing my head so I snarled for them to shut up, my face contorted with rage. Every one became silent save for a few whimpers and I was surprised to find the neko girl was bowing to me slightly when I turned around. I looked from side to side then pushed past her and out the door. The cold night air felt wonderful on my hot, slightly flushed face. The large city, New York, they say it never sleeps. Well that part of it was death quiet, save the few hobos and junkies shuffling around. The neko startled me by asking, from behind, "Where are we going, Master?"

I sighed, "I...am going to the store to buy some aspirin." I started walking away, but she kept pace, right behind me. I exhaled loudly, "Why were you in that night club?"

Her reply was delayed and quiet, "I…I don't know sir. I woke up in a strange building a few hours ago and after leaving went to that club, because…I don't know why exactly." I shook my head asking her name. She chirped, "My name's Zoya," Then she added quietly, sadly, "But you can change my name to anything you want, Master."

I stopped walking, "Okay…what's with the master crap?" I studied the odd little neko. I had met plenty of neko, lycan, and even kitsune, but she was just odd.

She looked confused, "You saved me…you're my master now." I looked at her for a few minutes then rubbed my temples and kept walking; sure enough she followed me to the pharmacy. I stumbled through the aisles and grabbed a bottle of high strength painkillers. Then I paid for it, reading the dosage suggestion, I poured twice that amount into my mouth chewed them up, and swallowed them. Zoya gasped, "Master! Did you just eat eight of those?"

I nodded, "And stop calling me master. My name is Namon." She said my name slowly, as if unsure of something. Then she looked at me with big, green eyes, nodding as if agreeing with me. I asked, my headache already abating, "So…where do you live?" She shook her head, looking at the tiled floor. I sighed, "Great…a stray cat... Well...uh, do you want to stay at my house?" She smiled, but still looked sad, nodding eagerly. I sighed in defeat, "Oh boy…" I turned and walked out of the store briskly, impatient to get home. We were both silent during the long walk to my apartment. Eventually we turned into a dark alley, which was the only way to get into my back door, which was the only way in without using a keypad lock. I was drunk and didn't feel like having my security system blow my brains onto the sidewalk. I walked to a heavy oak door and unlocked it with a key. I went in first and she slowly came in after me.

As I went to the kitchen she did a typical cat stretch on the carpeted floor. When I came back with a bag of chips she sighed," What would you have me do, sir?" I looked at her, confusion and riddlement on my face. She explained, "My purpose in life is to obey my masters every wish. To make his or her every desire come true."

My eyes grew large in surprise and I said, "The only desire I have is a goods nights sleep." I got a small blanket from the hall closet and handed it to her, "You can stay on the couch." I sat the bag of chips on the coffee table and walked to my room. I kicked through the clothes, garbage, and clutter to crawl into bed. My small but heavily defended, one bedroom apartment stayed messy. With that thought I drifted to sleep. When I woke up my head-ache was gone and I wondered where I was…my room was spotlessly clean. I got out of bed and walked into the kitchen, surprised to find that it too was very clean, the dishes sparkling on the counter. Then, remembering Zoya, went to the living room. She was asleep, her head laying on the table, a dust rag in one hand, a can of furniture polish beside her. I picked her up and sat her on the couch, laying the cover over her. I stretched then went to the kitchen and picked up a pan, looking at my reflection, "I need a shave…"

My side burns were overgrown and I ran my hands over them, they felt coarse and wiry. I put the pan on a stove eye, turned it on and cracked a dozen eggs into it. I sluggishly trudged to the bathroom, which was also clean, and smeared a bit of shaving cream on my face. I grabbed my straight- razor and ran it over my face carefully then rinsed off the blade and used a towel to clear off my face. I jogged back to the kitchen to find Zoya stirring the eggs. I yawned, "Hey…thanks for cleaning this place up…hold on and I'll repay you. "

She looked scared again but forced a smile, "With what sir?" I looked at her quizically and got out my wallet. "No…you can't actually give me money. It's not proper for a Master to compensate their slave…"

I shrugged and sat two plates on the counter beside her, "Uhm…do you eat people food? Or do I need to buy some cat- food?"

She blushed and giggled, "I'll eat and drink anything my Master gives me." I rolled my eyes and took over the stove, finishing the eggs. I scraped equal portions on both plates then poured two glasses of milk. I left her plate and cup on the counter, taking mine and sitting at the table. I looked from my food and saw her standing across from me. She asked, "May I sit at the same table as you, sir?"

I sighed, slightly annoyed, "Sit." She did and started eating taking small sips of milk every so often. Finishing first, I sat my dishes in the sink. Then my cell phone rang and I answered, "Hello?" I listened intently then hung up with a sigh.

Her ears twitched, and I realized she must have a very keen since of hearing. "Bet you won't want to follow me out of country?" She nodded and I scowled, "I'm going to Tseylinoyarsk, Russia." Her eyes grew wide and her ears flattened against her head.

"Russia? Back to Russia?" She looked terrified.

I sat down across from her, "What's wrong? I think maybe it's time I know more of your back story."

She nodded, "okay…I…I'll tell you. I wasn't born…I was created. With real flesh, blood, emotions, and senses we were the most advanced creations of all time. We originally were designed to please our masters…but the higher-officials of Mother Russia had other plans. We proved to be very effective in combat, so we were turned into warriors. " I asked finally, "We? Who else is there?" She answered, "My sisters…the 200 series. There's 100 of us…200-300. I'm 257…the only three of us still serving our original purpose…243, 217, and 226. And me now, I was in Russia five years ago…I don't age…the fourth cold war...2014. I was an Ace Pilot, and after destroying a base and getting shot down, my original master found me and captured me, taking me to his destroyed base. He refused to kill me…and used an EMP device to destroy the control-chip in my brain…by accident. Neither of us knew it was there till much later.

But after I lost my blood-lust I took him as my master. We grew close very fast, and he fought by my side for a year. Then…"She begins to cry, and by now I'm absorbed by this story. She sobs," Then we were captured by 300, the most elite of the 200 series. She was full of hate at my betrayal…she strapped a time-bomb to me that would only be shut-off if his heart stopped. Five seconds before it would go off a clear blast shield would lower in front of the chair he was strapped to. She gave me his 9mm and left the room. I wasn't going to kill my master. But with six seconds on the clock he talked me into pulling it. The love of my life had died at my hands, then the bomb fell off. When it did I noticed it had no charge cap…a dud! It never could have went off…when 300 came through the door laughing, I fired the 15 hollow-tip rounds in the clip into her chest. Then I put the barrel to my temple and it just clicked. I remember dropping to my knees and crying uncontrollably. Then a tall American in a suit came in, told me everything was going to be fine, then stuck a syringe into my neck. And five years later…here I am."

By now her tears had soaked my table, and I had became quite interested in the story. She still cried heavily and I said slowly, "Uhmm..okay...do you want to stay here?" She shook her head slowly and I sighed, "okay…if you're going then we need to go shopping. And quickly…the plane ride out of here leaves first thing tomorrow." She stood up and wiped tears from her eyes, sniffling. I grabbed my wallet and handgun, strapping it to my side," Then let's go Zoya." She followed me quietly through the now busy city to a military surplus store. I knew Tseylinoyarsk was a dense jungle so I bought her five olive green shirts, some combat boots, two pairs of brown cargo pants, and four pairs of women's underwear. She loved these gifts and picked out a small brown pack to carry the stuff in.

Then I bought her a large combat knife, and she looked at me sweetly, "Thanks…it's beautiful." She pulled it out of its sheath, looking at the light glint off the razor-sharp blade. She put it back in its holster, fastening it to her belt loop.

I shrugged, "Hope you never have to use it though." After paying for it all, we left and went home. After securely locking the door and closed all the blinds, I slid a small laptop from under the couch. Then I sat on the couch and flipped it open, as it powered on. A green bar appeared and I typed in the number code I heard on the phone earlier, "09734162…" A picture of a middle-aged Russian man and a paragraph popped up. I looked up from the screen and saw Zoya staring at me curiously. I asked, "Would you like to watch TV?" She nodded politely so I handed her the remote, placing the headphones, made into the laptop, over my ears. I clicked on the paragraph just as she found some soap-opera show.

An electronic female voice came through the headphones, "Name…Nikolai Yarkovich. Age…forty-two. A son of a deceased Cold War general. He has been under tight cover for years after a failed assassination attempt. But recent reports put him in the thick jungle of Tseylinoyarsk, Russia. He supposedly wants to bring the Fallen USSR back to power, and is working on some new W.O.M.D. For this reason he must be terminated. Good luck. " I took the phones off and went to the regular computer, accessing the internet. I froze all my bank funds so they couldn't be hacked while I was away. I told Zoya I was going to sleep till the next morning, food was in the fridge , and that she was free to eat any of it. I went to my room and layed down, forcing myself to sleep. I slept soundly till midnight then I got up to eat.

I found Zoya laying on the couch, a box of cookies by her side. I took the box, and took a pair of pants and a shirt out of her new pack. Then I gently slid the sheath, knife inside, off her waist, and onto her pants that I laid out. This done I took the cookies to the kitchen, ate a few, and drank a glass of water. Fully replenished I snuck back to my room, and got into my olive drab tee and pants, pulled on my combat boots, and slid my own combat knife into it's boot sheath. I laid back down and slept for another hour, then I got my jacket off the dresser and walked out of my room, putting it on. Zoya was ready and watching television. I yawned, "Good morning…"

She turned around and her eyes became huge, "Whe…where did you get that jacket?"

I answered, quizzically, "An auction…why?"

She sighed, "No reason…I just thought it looked cool. Oh! And…" she brought me two plane tickets, "Someone slid these under the door about half an hour ago." As I took them she posed cutely, "Do I look good as a soldier?" I shrugged off the question and led her outside. When we got to the street a black cab was waiting and I ushered my companion into it before I climbed in. We started moving as soon as I shut the door.

The driver, a young blonde woman named Natalie, asked, "You after the Russian, Namon?" I nodded in answer and she smiled, "Good luck…when you get back do you want to go out for dinner?" Beside me Zoya crossed her arms, I looked at her and she nodded towards the front seat, mouthing the word slut. I rolled my eyes and chuckled inwardly. Natalie asked, "Well Namon…dinner?"

I answered, "Sorry…but I will be busy. I am trying to get my new guest situated into my house."

She scoffed, "I saw her carrying a bag. I thought she was your pack animal!" Zoya's hand clutched her knife, I squeezed her hand roughly. She looked at me, and I shook my head, mouthing no. She sighed and scooted over to me, laying her head on my shoulder and her tail curled around to lay across her lap. I unsurely ran my hand over her side and she let out a sound that was a mix of a purr and yawn. Soon we arrived at the spat angrily, "And from now on no pets in my cab!"

I snarled, "Then send another driver from now on!" I slammed the door shut and the car took of quickly. I muttered, "Bitch…" then we waited for five minutes until a familiar young voice was heard.

"Namon? Is'at you?"

I smiled, handing the young man the two tickets, "Yep,…which plane are we using today Frenchy?" He jerked his thumb towards a small but luxurious plane. He started walking and we followed him, and quickly boarded the plane. Frenchy handed us each a parachute and sat down. I lead Zoya into the passenger compartment. I was furnished with thick luxurious bed, a fridge, a TV, a microwave, a dining table, and two chairs. I smiled and sat on the bed and told Zoya, "You can sit on the bed."

She sat next to me and said sadly. "I didn't mean to cause trouble between you and your friend."

I shrugged, "It's okay Zoya…"

She smiled lightly, "May I have a pillow for tonight? So I don't have to lay my head on the floor."

I replied quietly, as I was taking off my boots, "Don't worry, we won't be on here long enough for you to get tired again." She looked at me suprisedly,as if in disbelief. I nodded, "Yes, it'll be a short ride." She shook her head in amazement, then got up off the bed. She went to the fridge and started going through it, and I laid back against the wall, turning on the TV. She came back with a can of tuna and a plastic spoon. I chuckled. "Haha…of course." She smiled while chewing,and purred. I flipped through the channels until I found NCIS. I relaxed and Zoya finished her snack, dropping the garbage into the trash can at the foot of the bed. She sighed and laid her head on my lap, purring contently. I shyly rubbed he ears gently, making her blush. I smiled and continued to feel the furry skin of her cat ears, until she got up dozed off. Although I felt no vibrations, I knew we, by now, had flown many miles. I moved my leg out from under her head, putting a pillow in its place. I got up, accessed the plane's internet library, and began to read a novel I had started on my last international hit.

Five hours later Frenchy's voice came on the P.A., waking her,"Ok people…here is your stop. Good luck!" Zoya hurriedly slung her pack over her shoulder, then strapped on her parachute. After I put mine on, I made sure my desert eagle was securely attached. The P.A. rang, "Five, four, three, two…"

We opened the hatch and Zoya jumped first, me going right after her. I yelled over the wind blowing past us, "Don't open your chute until I tell you!" We fell quickly through the black, night sky. Within two minutes the ground was looming only a hundred feet below us and I shouted, "Open the chute!" We both pulled our chords, and our exposed chutes caught the air. Our descent slowed and we dropped gently to the jungle floor. I unlatched my chute and helped zoya out of hers. After we were both free I pulled her back as a chute-box landed where she was standing. I stepped up to it and used my knife to pry the large box open. It was empty save two pairs of NVG, a silenced Colt 1911, four clips, and a button transmitter. On top of the small pile was a note, 'Good luck, sir.' I slid one pair of NVG onto my head and handed the other to Zoya along with the 1911 and the clips. She stuck the hand-gun into her cargo-pocket of her pants and the clips into her pack. Then she slid the NVG onto her face, making sure the straps didn't catch her ears. We both clicked them on and we looked around, our world now in bright black and white. I whispered, "We have to talk quietly, unless I tell you to be silent. For now let's move, silently, until I know no one is around. Let's get out of this clearing!"

We moved quietly and quickly out of the open and into the forest. I stopped as I heard footsteps and Zoya did as well. As I ducked behind a tree, my companion followed suit. I peeked around the side and saw two Russian troops with camo-suits, black masks, and AK-47Us. One said, his words thick with excitement, "Hurry, hurry comrade…I know I saw something drop down!" I waited until they ran past then got one in a human-shield style and snapped his neck, shooting the other in the jugular as he was turning to face me.

Zoya exclaimed, "Wow." She stepped over the body with a broken neck, "Should we hide the bodies?"

As if to answer her question, a big cat yowled nearby. I said, "No…let the animals eat." She smiled, blushing at the grotesque reply, even in black and white she was cute. I smiled, "But it's true." She nodded and I scanned the area looking for a place to get a good viewpoint. I saw a tall tree covered in vines and told Zoya, "Follow me…" we quickly moved to the base of the tree. I motioned for her to stay on the ground while I checked the area. I used the thick, strong vines to climb the tree, when I was at least one hundred feet up I looked around. I couldn't see any enemy soldiers, so I scaled back down. I said with a sigh, "These aren't any soldiers nearby. Damn it! I should have interrogated one of them!" I jerked my thumb back at the two corpses.

My companion suggested, "Why don't you check their satchels? They may carry some information." I knew she was right and walked to the one with a broken neck and knelt down to check the man's bag. I found a picture of a young man holding a baby girl, his other arm wrapped around a pretty young woman. I tossed it a side carelessly, then dug out a pack of gum and a piece of folded paper. I pocketed the gum and unfolded the note, reading it in my mind.

I said slowly, "Zoya my dear I could kiss you."

She knelt beside me, "Then why don't you?" I rolled my eyes and handed her the note and she read aloud, "Comrade Stephanovich, send repairs to the wall on the shore of the lake. The electricity has shut off again!" She passed it back to me, "So we need to find a lake?"

I nodded and stood up, smiling then said, "Okay…at least now we have a general idea of what to look for. The only question is…how many lakes are there in Tseylinoyarsk?"

She smiled, "Three…that much I do remember…I don't remember exactly where they are…but they all are near the center."

I affectionately squeezed her shoulder, "You're full of information aren't you?" I slid my gun back into its holster, turning to face the west." This way is towards the center…we need to head that way." As I said this, the sun began to rise behind me, its rays flooding over the top of the trees. We both took off our NVG and clipped them to our belt loops. She began looking around with a curious look on her face. I asked, "What's wrong Zoya?"

She said, hoarsely, "Sisters."

Another Neko stepped out of the trees holding a klashnikov, as well as a dragunov slung over her back. I noticed the klashnikov was loaded with a specialized 35. clip. The barrel was pointed dead on my nasal cavity. I said politely, "Now young lady…surely we can talk this out?"

The hostile Neko laughed harshly, "ha, ha, ha…of course you would say that!"

I knew that niceness was out of the equation, "Okay! What's so funny you damned mutt!"

She raised the rifle to her shoulder, still aiming at my nasal cavity, "It's no use in me telling you. Dead people have no need for wisdom!" There was a metallic ring as the assault rifle flew out of the enemie's hand.

Zoya's hand shook, as it gripped the smoking 1911, "Please leave us alone 253…" 253 quickly brought the dragunov to her hands. There was a heart wrenching yowl as a bullet from the rifle hit my friend. 253 ran into the dense jungle as I ran to Zoya's side.

I knelt beside her, "Are you okay?" She was crying in great sobs, and I winced as I saw that the top of her ear was nicked with a large hole. A lot of blood was running down into her already red hair. I told her to take cover until the fight was over. As she crawled away, I said "Zoya…be carefull." She nodded and hurried to fallen log. I stood up with my hand-gun drawn. Then I put it back into its holster, rolling to pick up the discarded klashnikov. The bullet had hit the wood grip that was made under the barrel. Aside from being cracked it was fine. I stood up and looked down the sights, searching for the enemy Neko. I saw a glint of sunlight flash off glass and I recognized it as the flash of a scope. I ducked as the sapling behind me splintered into two halves. I dove behind a tree as the ground where I had just laid was blown away by another shot. I knew that from her perch, I would never get to her if I tried directly. I flinched as the tree I was using for cover took a direct hit. She must have been some kind of specialized ammo, because the tree literally shook. I knew that my current cover could only take at most, two more hits, before the round pierced me as well. Sure enough when the next round hit, I felt the wood behind me bulge out. I swat rolled to a new tree and peeked around the corner, and a round flew a hair shy of my nose. I pulled my head back behind the tree, and breathed deeply. This time when a bullet hit my tree I didn't flinch. I ran out from my cover and baseball slid behind a large rock.

I peeked over it and squeezed off a few desperate shots before ducking under a round from her lethal rifle. I was almost empty with the rifle, so I put it down and took out my Desert Eagle again, breathing deeply. I twisted out of cover and fired, splintering a tree by her side. She fired and I felt the air of the round burn the the skin on my ear, so I rolled back to cover, cursing the sniper. I could see no way out of this cover; the damned neko had me trapped like an animal. Surely to torment me, she fired a few rounds into the rock, which chipped it. I knelt down, thinking until my head hurt. "Damn...damn her..." Then it occured to me.

Zoya whimpered from her cover, "How are you going to get her, sir?" I saw a fallen log, one end hid from 253's view by my cover. I smiled knowing a sniper's only weakness is tunnel vision. They can only hit what they can see through the scope. I laid on my stomach, picked up the rifle, and crawled until I got to the other end of my log. I stood up, safely out of her sight. I fixed the klashnikov sights on her position and breathed deeply before pulling the trigger. There was a solitary crack and the 35. round flew perfectly through the air and into her liver. There was a loud yell and I saw her stand up, stumbling foreward, raising the dragunov. I fired again and the round flew into her kidney. She dropped the large rifle and fell to her knees crying from the pain. I motioned for my still timid companion to follow me.

We ran to the dieing sniper's side, and she smiled, "Someone finally managed to beat me. I knew I had a real challenge when my first shot missed. It's funny…", she coughed, sending more blood running down her chin, "because now I want to get to know the one who...managed to beat...me." Even though she was a post-death pale, she managed to laugh, "Damn it all...beat by...a human." She let out one more pained breath and died at my feet. I simply nodded. then I said a silent prayer and closed her eyes.

Zoya sighed, "I know she's our enemy…but she was my sister." She bowed lightly over the body and kissed her forehead.

I sighed, "Okay…we need to move on." She looked at me, once more nodding her consent. I dropped the assault-rifle by my failed enemie's side, opting for my hand-gun, which I pulled out. We then pushed on, making a good four miles through the merciless terrain. We stayed the night under a rock over-hang, our sleeps light, and our guns ready. Twice during the night the nocturnal sounds of forest life woke me, gun at point. But the night passed without tragedy, and we woke up in the morning, renewed but hungry. I scaled up a Russian-fig tree and got a handful of the small fruit. They were very sweet, and surprisingly filling for their size, so me and Zoya both enjoyed them. After eating we both stretched in the sharp morning light. Now that we're both well rested and full, we continued on our way. We encountered two energy patrol groups, and one camp.

We easily snuck past the camp and one of the scouting parties. But the second one caught us by surprise. I walked around a corner of a rock formation just as one of them did. We quietly looked at me for a few seconds before he yelled, alarming the others, "American!" At that second I put my gun to his forehead, shooting to kill. A volley of bullets roared by me, and I knew I had one advantage over the ten soldiers. I was fully rested, but this squad was up for days, and were likely shaky and paranoid. I was able to easily take out three more and duck back behind the rock. A second hail of bullets hit the stone uselessly. I muttered to Zoya who had hid, like I told her to if there was a fight, "Do all Russian troops carry klashnikovs?" She giggled as I popped out of my cover, shooting another of the jittery Russians. I dove from my rock hiding-spot to a better viewpoint. While I was able to take out two more, I also howled in rage as a round grazed my shoulder. Zoya gasped but I kept shooting taking out the last three.

Zoya ran to my side, "Sir…are you okay?" I pushed the jacket and tee off my right shoulder and saw that the bullet has just took the skin off the top. I nodded grimly, and hesitantly used the arm to hug her. She smiled, "That's okay then…as long as you're not hurt." I let the empty clip slide out of the handle, placing a new one in its place. I placed the gun back in the holster. After that we continued on out set path, making good time. I threw my hands to the sky in joy when, that night, our feet sunk into the soft shore of a lake. By now the sun was quite near gone, so we slid the NVG on to look around. The lake was large, but not so much as so I couldn't see the other side. I knew that we could easily walk completely around it in two hours at most. But I could feel a bone-freezing chill in the air, and an unsettling frost was creeping over the ground.

I shivered, "Wow. Where did this cold surge come from?"

Zoya, also shivering, explained "In Russia, if there is no tree canopy to hold in the geo-thermal heat, it can drop to negative ten degrees at night."

I sighed, "Maybe we should sleep in the jungle tonight." She started to turn back to the forest. Then I remembered a world war two tactic used in the Frigid Northern Germany battle zones, "Wait! If you can find me a stout stick, I could easily dig a tunnel for us to sleep in." She turned slowly and looked at me in a strange way for about thirty seconds.

Then she snapped out of the mini-trance, "We don't need a stick…watch this!" She got on her hands and knees and dug like a dog. Her long, Neko claws were very effective, and in fifteen minutes she had completely disappeared. I sat and patiently waited until she resurfaced twenty minutes later, covered in dirt head to toe, but smiling. She crawled out and stood up. She had sweated while in the tunnel but now the beads of liquid on her forehead froze, falling to the ground.

I laughed, "You need a bath, Zoya." She giggled, and I stared puzzledly as she pulled off her shirt. Then she began unclasping her bra and I turned away quickly. Soon I heard her pants unzip and be pulled off. When I heard feet running toward the lake I remembered how cold the air was. I turned and blushed, trying not to focus on her pale backside, "Zoya! You'll freeze to death!" She dove into the icy water anyway, giving a high pitched mewl as her body hit it. She scrubbed quickly for one minute, then I turned back around as she swam back to the shore. She ran up behind me and I heard her unzip her pack, pulling out clean clothes. After getting redressed she put her NVGs back on and sat across from me shivering. I looked at her chest and turned red, muttering, "Damn! I forgot to buy you some extra bras."

She giggled, "So…did you enjoy what you saw?"

I was quiet for a moment before saying, "We need to get some sleep." We both crawled into the small cave she dug, and the tiny enclosed area trapped our body heat. But it was still pretty cold, and just before she fell to sleep, I laid my jacket over her. I was cold using only my tee shirt, but snuggled against her, falling asleep. In the morning I woke up first again, taking off both our NVG's. Then I, not wanting to wake her, went outside and slung her pack on my shoulder, then, I put her knife, gun, clips, and dirty clothes in it as well. Ready to go, I went in and nudged her, "It's time to go Zoya." She only curled into a tighter ball, pulling the coat around her. I shook her shoulder, "Come on Zoya." She groaned in protest. I rolled my eyes and took the coat off her, laying it on the ground, then placed her on it. I grabbed a sleeve and drug the still sleeping Neko out of the tunnel. The sun had not warmed the air. It was still well below freezing, and the unwilling to awake Neko shivered. She woke up halfway, just long enough to re-wrap herself in the coat. I shook my head, then, went to my last resort. I picked her up and she curled even tighter, no part of her showing through the large jacket.

She mumbled contently, "Troy…" I smiled, guessing Troy was her previous master. She was very light and easy to carry, so I carted her across the terrain without a problem. And the fact that the lake's shore was flat and debris free, made my job all the more easy. After an easy hour of walking she fidgeted and blinked up at me, "Namon?"

I smiled, "Hi sleeping beauty…ready to walk?"

She smiled back at me, "Five more minutes." I rolled my eyes and continued on and she smiled, "This whole trip so far, almost an exact replica of five years ago. Even you…you act just like…"

I finished for her, "Troy?"

She looked at me almost dreamily, "Yes."

I nodded, "It's been five minutes, Zee."

She looked at me, "What did you call me?"

I answered quizzicly, "Zee."

She remarked, "Impossible…okay sir, you can put me down." I sat her on her feet and she handed me my coat back. I slid it on and handed her the bag. When she got situated for the day, we continued at a quick pace. By the time mid-day was here she was complaining of hunger. I looked around futively, no fruit in sight. Then I noticed a small creature scurrying around in the shallows. It was a small, fist sized crab, and when I saw it , I remembered a survival trick I learned in Venezuela. I took out my pistol and ejected an unused round by the slide, then used my knife to pry the tip off. I dumped the powder on the ground then piled small sticks on it. I then used my knife and a rock to put a spark to the powder. There was a bright flash and then the tiny pile of sticks was on fire. We kept adding sticks until we had a decent blaze. Then I went to the waters edge and fired a single shot into the crab, bringing the small animal back to the fire. I sat the whole thing into the flames, and in minutes it was crackling and a wonderful smell drifted up from the fire. I used a stick to drag it out of the fire, then, with my knife, cut the top of the shell off. She used one long nail to pick a piece of the meat out and eat it, "Hehe…thanks!" I broke a leg off for myself and left the rest for her. She ate graciously while I slowly ate the meat out of the leg. Once she was done she licked her fingers and giggled.

I smiled and stomped out the fire before we continued. By noon we were tired and wet because on one part of the shore, it was a cliff, and when we stepped onto it, it broke away. We swam for ten minutes to get to a shore. Luckily no gear was lost or damaged. But even though we were soaked I was happy that, when we were about to set up camp, I saw a fence in the distance. I almost shouted with joy but knew we should stop for the night. I repeated the powder-fire starter, then stripped down to my boxers, blushing as Zoya stared in awe. I drove two sticks into the ground a foot from the flames, and propped my clothes on them, the moisture steaming out. Then Zoya undressed all the way, and though I blushed in embarrassment, I didn't look away. She had very well defined curves, and her breasts were extremely large for her small stature. When she caught my eyes glued to her, she blushed a deep crimson. After seeing I was not going to make a move, she pulled a pair of panties and a shirt out of the thankfully water-proof bag. Luckily we had also stored the NVGs in it too. After Zoya slipped on her panties and shirt she hung her wet clothing on the sticks as well. The fire greatly helped to take the horrid chill out of the air, but she still clung to me tightly. She shivered, "Namon…I was horrified of coming back to Russia. But now that I'm here with you…it's an exact replica of five years ago. I… think I may love you Namon." This was the last thing I heard as I felt a tiny prick on my neck. When I reached up to slap what I thought a bug, I drove the needle deeper into my carotid. As my vision blacked I saw Zoya cringe as one found her neck as well. I wanted to stay conscious to make sure Zoya was okay. Oh God how bad I wanted to, but I only managed a few staggering steps before the ground rushed up to meet me.

I didn't dream…it was a sleep without rest, and it lasted for a never-ending eternity. When my senses came back to me, I was a mixture of relieved and ragefull, "Hey! Where am I? Zoya?"

Her faint reply came from my right, "I'm here Namon." I looked at her, seeing she was in a similar condition to me. We were both restrained to modern-day torture racks, stripped of all gear and clothing. Any other time I would've been a crimson shade of embarrassment.

But now I was to worried to be bashful, yelling once more, rage and venom dripping from my shouts, "Hey! Show yourselves!" As if to oblige my command, a behemoth of a man walked through an automated door. I gasped as I saw half his face was a metal plate.

Zoya whimpered, "You should be dead…"

He talked, his voice a grave snarl, "He, he, he…you're right about that, my comrade. Just like our failed general, Nikolai Stephanovich. But fate smiled on me and I alone survived."

The light glinted off the golden hair covering half his head, and I spat, "Hey freak! What are you doing?" Capturing me…do you know who I am?"

His tree like arm shot out, squeezing my throat, "I command you to shut up, Mr. Hunt!"

He squeezed until my brain hurt from lack of oxygen, then another person, or figure, came through the door, "Stop Ivan!" The giant stopped his assault and the shorter figure pushed past him. 'It' was wearing a full body cloak and a voice masker, "Hmmm…this scrawny pup is the notorious Namon Hunt?" I glared into the eyes, the only part of its natural body to be viewable.

I asked calmly, the silvery-eyes soothing me, "Yes…and you are?"

When my mysterious capter's eyes left mine, my rage returned as it answered, "They call me Master or Asp if you prefer…not that it matters…you'll be dead soon." Asp turned to look at my thin but muscled body, "Unless you want to become my ever-so-loyal slave." I tensed knowing I was the prisoner of a woman. I spat in her face to show my decline, and perfectly manicured nails dug three shallow gashes across my cheek. She then flicked her eyes to Zoya before her distorted, electronic voice said with a sinister laugh, "Ivan…do not hurt our guests but do keep them entertained!"

Ivan pleaded, "But master…"

She growled sternly, "Do not hurt them Ivan!"

He saluted as she walked out of the room. He glared at Zoya, who was still silent, "You know bitch…I still remember the skorpian bullet concaving my skull! I think I'll use your tail and ears for a necklace and some earrings!" She whimpered and he focused on me, "Until later Hunt." He twisted on his heel and left the room.

A child-like, female voice chimed from above, "Some entertainment he is, eh?" I looked up as did my companion, blinking at the small girl in the rafters. I gasped as she fell off the beam, and once more when small, velvet black bat wings showed her fall. She landed in front of me and I noticed a black devil tail flicking behind her. She smiled, her four-foot stature giving her the appearance of a tiny, but attractive goth.

She brushed a strand of neon purple hair out of her face as I asked, "Hi…who are you exactly?"

She sighed sadly, "I'm Miss Asp's slave. I do stuff like run errands and stuff. I hate the bitch but fear death to much to disobey her. She told me to stay out of this room today, so I simply had to meet our new guests." I nodded, sensing the girl was harmless. Then she looked at my naked body in a scanning fashion, stopping on a certain point. She blushed and giggled, "My, my…I do think I'd like to…" She was cut off as the door clicked, fixing to open. She flapped her wings once, launching her to the safety of the rafters, a split second before two guards with skorpians came in. One pressed buttons on a panel and me and Zoya fell to the floor.

He then threw us some clothes, "Get dressed!" We stood side-by-side and walked at gun-point to the door. It slid open and we continued, past cells full of men, Nekos, Lycans and even a few Kitsunes. We stopped at one cell and the guard opened it, "In…both of you!" We did as told, deciding against hollow tips in the brains. When the guard slammed the door shut, I noticed a very old man laying, unbreathing, on the floor in the corner.

I asked, "Is he dead?"

The Russian shrugged, "He probably is for right now…"

"For right now?" My question went unanswered as my guard walked away.

I jumped as a slow, grave voice called, "Are you the one the guards have been yammering about all day?" I spun around, stepping in front of an equally shocked Zoya. The old man was now sitting up, looking at me. I stepped forward to get a better look at him, and he grawled, "That's close enough, kid!" I stopped, awed by the strength and hostility in his voice. I was shocked when I noticed to silvery blue ears, scarred and cut, laying limply on top of his head. A wolf like tail smacked on the ground, and his eyes crinkled, letting us know of a smile hidden by a silky, white beard. He chuckled, "Heheh…never met a Lycan before, boy?"

I shook my head, "I've met plenty, they're common. But not ones like you... you, Zoya, and allt he others here... You're all different somehow..."

Zoya said in a friendly way, "Are you a creation? Like me?"

He nodded, "I'm number 37. And you must be one of the beautiful Series 200…one of the lucky ones who never age."

I asked, "And how old are you Gramps?"

He looked sad as he answered, "I was excelled to 26…I was created to look 25. But I was a fail…my aging never stopped. I'm only fifty-two years old…but I have all the wisdom and looks of a seventy year old. Even my heart and bones feel as old as I look."

I asked in a state of awe, "Fifty-two? Only fifty-two?"

As he was about to reply the intercom blared in a harshly Russian accented voice, "Okay freaks…in two minutes your cells will open. You know the procedure…you can be in the courtyard, the hall, or your cells. The rules are the same as always…don't assault the guards!"

The old Lycan shook his shaggy head, "Sorry…we can talk later kid." He stood up, his legs and back popping. To look his age, when he stood he was tall and well muscled, not a person I'd want as an enemy. The door, remote controlled, slid open and he pushed passed us. I followed, amazed at the number choosing to stay in their cells.

Zoya clung to my arm, voicing my question to the eager to get out Lycan, "Why do so many stay in their cells?"

He answered as if it's obvious, "Most of them are afraid to go to the yard. Five or six die from fights everyday." Zoya clung to me even tighter, worried about both of us most likely. Soon we stepped out of the dimly lit hall into the yard, a huge dome with the top missing, the sunlight streaming in. Already there were small groups congregating. The old Lycan pointed to a door where two guards stood with M109 shotguns, "If you start a large riot or assault a guard they take you in there, where that bitch, Asp kills you." An idea automatically started to form in my mind.

The Neko that was vice-gripping my arm saw my smile, "Namon? What's to smile about?"

I said to her and the old Lycan, "I have an idea." As they both looked at me questioningly, I motioned to one of the benches lining the walls, "Let's sit…" Before we went to discuss my plan, I glanced once more at the guarded door.


End file.
